Ugh. Drivers door blend actuator on 2014 Ford expedition

1,459 Views | 17 Replies | Last: 1 day ago by Ag97
FDXAg
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6:52p, 2/22/25
AG
So the driver's side vents are blowing hot regardless of temperature setting. Quick Google search told me it's the dreaded door blend actuator and as luck would have it, the drivers blend door is incredibly difficult to access and replace. Part itself is only like $20.

I replaced the rear blend and mode actuators over the summer but those were pretty easily accessible. YouTube videos show either needing to remove the front dash entirely or another method involving taking out center console, front seats, and sawing through some AC ductwork.

Dealers apparently charge $1300 to over $2000 to replace due to the labor. Anyone ever done this job before? Looks way too intimidating to me. And apparently because my model is the Limited, the process is even harder.

Anyone tried this themselves? Don't want to spend money at a dealer but can't imagine any auto repair place would want to tackle this.
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Nobody Knows My Name
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7:32p, 2/22/25
AG
Not much help other than to say I had to replace a heater core on a 2001 F-150 and had to remove the entire dash for that as well. Had a bag of screws leftover when I was done.
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southernboy1
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8:46p, 2/22/25
AG
I did my 2012 f150. It is a pita. Basically you need to remove the radio and it is still stuck off in the left corner. Some try and help themselves out through the glove box, but they must have tiny hands and arms. The front screw is easy. The back one takes some work and patience. The job is doable. I cannot offer much more than that or encouragement. And be prepared to have your knuckles look like you got in a fight with an alley cat stuck in a rose bush. Lots of sharp edges in there.
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FDXAg
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In reply to southernboy1 • 8:55p, 2/22/25
AG
See that's just it.... It's not that one. That one behind the radio isn't the hardest. The one behind the radio controls the passenger side blend door. The one that is broken on mine controls the driver's side blend door, and it is located basically on the floor underneath the dash. And you basically have zero room to reach it.
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1990Hullaballoo
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10:13p, 2/22/25
AG
HAD a 2012 F150 ecobust with a hole in the evap coil.

Looked into doing it myself and said heck no. And I'm pretty handy mechanically.

Had a guy do it and replaced all the actuators while the dash was out. Also the recirc door as it had broken as well.

Two months and $2000 later it mostly worked like it was supposed to.

Engineers who design "wear" items to NOT be easily accessed/replaced should have their cajones forcibly removed.

The "wear" item description comes from the dealer who sold me the "bumper to bumper" warranty that didn't cover "wear" items like evap coils, 4WD actuator solenoid or ignition coils. My '70 F100 is still operating on the original coil. So much for engineering improvement.
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RightWingConspirator
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12:44p, 2/23/25
AG
Let me be the first to say go get someone to fix it for you. Realize that's not the "manly" suggestion. I have the utmost respect for you diy folks but sometimes it's just better to bite the bullet and pay someone for their time and expertise. At least the. You won't be left with a bucket of nuts and screws and wondering, "Did I do it right??"
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redag06
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In reply to southernboy1 • 8:48a, 2/24/25
I had blood all over my floor mats when I was done. LOTS of sharp edges.
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rock08
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8:58a, 2/24/25
AG
Have you tried turning it manually with a screw driver? Mine got "gunked up" with grease and debri.
When I loosened the gunk, cycled it between AC/heat on the dial, it began functioning properly again.
This was on a '19 f250 though
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FDXAg
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In reply to rock08 • 1:34p, 2/24/25
AG
If I could reach it to turn it, I would. I can barely see the actuator when I peel back the carpet and look through the center floor area, but there is a lot of stuff that has to be removed to access it.

Was wondering if there was maybe a way to try and get the thingb to somehow flip to cold only. If it was blowing cold 24/7, we could handle that. But blowing hot air in the driver's side during 100 summers in a black leather interior isn't going to be feasible.

So frustrating too because it's the most difficult of the actuators to access... AND it stuck on hot air. 50/50 chance but I always knew we could leave it unfixed if it blew constant cold.
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87IE
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In reply to FDXAg • 3:15p, 2/24/25
AG
FDXAg said:
If I could reach it to turn it, I would. I can barely see the actuator when I peel back the carpet and look through the center floor area, but there is a lot of stuff that has to be removed to access it.

Was wondering if there was maybe a way to try and get the thingb to somehow flip to cold only. If it was blowing cold 24/7, we could handle that. But blowing hot air in the driver's side during 100 summers in a black leather interior isn't going to be feasible.

So frustrating too because it's the most difficult of the actuators to access... AND it stuck on hot air. 50/50 chance but I always knew we could leave it unfixed if it blew constant cold.
There is a video out there where the guy went all Freddy Krueger on the plastic casing around it to get to it.

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southernboy1
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7:17p, 2/24/25
AG
Have you tried moving your dial to hot. Or temp control. Mine would sometimes blow cold on hot and hot on cold. Or sometimes it was good in the middle.
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FDXAg
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In reply to southernboy1 • 7:31p, 2/24/25
AG
southernboy1 said:
Have you tried moving your dial to hot. Or temp control. Mine would sometimes blow cold on hot and hot on cold. Or sometimes it was good in the middle.


Yep. Tried the settings every which way imaginable. Even unplugged the battery for awhile too see if the reset of everything would fix it but it didn't. Just blows full on hot air at whatever fan speed you set it at. Closing the 2 driver's vents doesn't really work much because you can still feel the heat coming through them. I can already tell it would be miserable in summer.

I know it's completely reactionary and dramatic, but almost makes me want to sell the vehicle before dropping 1.5-2k into a $20 part ugh.
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Ribeye-Rare
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In reply to FDXAg • 9:31p, 2/24/25
AG
I sense your frustration, so allow me to pitch a 'shade-tree' way to take care of this for you for about $5 in parts and 30 minutes of your time. Take it for what it's worth. There's no charge.

I, too, run Fords, and have been dealing with blend door actuators for years. While now I'm pretty good at taking care of them by going through radios/air bags/ductwork, etc, I sometimes don't have time to fool with such things and I can't drive around in warm/hot temps with the vents blowing hot air on me (or on a family member). And I damn sure don't want to remove an entire dashboard.

So, buy two 3/4" barb elbow fittings, 4 hose clamps, and a short piece (maybe 2" long) of 3/4" heater hose. Go under the hood, disconnect the two hoses going to the heater core, insert the elbows and small piece of hose and secure with hose clamps. Do NOT just clamp off the hoses. The coolant water needs to circulate.

Result -- no more hot air when you turn on the A/C. Of course, if you stick with this, you'll need to reverse it when cold weather shows up, or you'll freeze your ass off.

One more tip if you decide to tackle the actuator replacement -- when trying to access the screws on the actuator, just take a screwdriver and bust it in half so the top part is gone. That makes loosing/removing the screws much easier. And, if you have screws in the back you can't get to, take a hacksaw blade (only) and saw through the actuator to remove it. Then when replacing the actuator, clip a slot in the round screw holes so you can just slide the new actuator in under the screw head.

Last note: -- I'd gladly pay 3X as much for an actuator that never failed. Changing them out is a beat down.
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FDXAg
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In reply to Ribeye-Rare • 4:49p, 2/25/25
AG
Interesting. So I'm assuming I'll be cutting the hoses going into the firewall so they can connect together? Or can I just try to remove the connectors and manage to leave them on for easy reattachment this fall?

And just to clarify, will this cause the drivers side vents to blow cold air with AC on or will they just blow ambient temp air? I guess anything is better than blazing hot air in the summer lol
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Ribeye-Rare
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In reply to FDXAg • 8:30p, 2/25/25
AG
FDXAg said:
Interesting. So I'm assuming I'll be cutting the hoses going into the firewall so they can connect together? Or can I just try to remove the connectors and manage to leave them on for easy reattachment this fall?
No cutting of hoses, just squeeze (open) the clamps that attach the hoses to the heater core (at the firewall) and slide them down a ways so you don't lose them and you can re-use them later. Then remove the hoses from the heater core inlet tubes. You'll probably have to twist them a bit to get them off, but you probably know that.

I also keep a couple of 3/4" plastic caps or crutch tips on hand to put over the heater core inlets to keep junk from getting in there while I'm in 'shade-tree' mode.

Quote:
And just to clarify, will this cause the drivers side vents to blow cold air with AC on or will they just blow ambient temp air? I guess anything is better than blazing hot air in the summer lol
My experience has been that you will get cold air out of all the vents. I'm not exactly sure why, but that's what I've seen. In fact, one year I got lazy and kept the re-route on all summer long and had no problems cooling one of my vehicles in the Texas heat. When fall came around though, I decided it was time to do the job right and replace the actuator.

Like I said, it's not 'by the book' and 'fine German craftsmanship', but its hard to argue with about $5 in parts and 30 minutes of your time (more like 10 minutes, really) to temporarily solve a problem. Good luck.
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FDXAg
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In reply to Ribeye-Rare • 9:04p, 2/25/25
AG
Thank you!

I'm definitely going to be trying this. I know it may not be the best long-term solution, but honestly if it doesn't hurt anything then I don't see a huge issue with simply reattaching the hoses in the fall when we will need heat/defrost again.

Especially if it saves me a 2k repair and the air actually blows cold this summer! YouTube has made it pretty clear that I would be in over my head in replacing this actuator with its ridiculous location. Stupid Ford engineers....
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1agswitchin4lanes
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7:04a, 2/26/25
AG
IIRC the last time I did this, I pulled the carpet back to give me enough room to access it.
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Ag97
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5:42p, 2/26/25
AG
Had an actuator go out on my sons 2012 F150 a couple years ago. I ended up paying a mechanic shop in Bryan about $400 to fix it. Local Ford Dealer said it would be $1,500+. Money well spent as I also researched doing it myself and decided the frustration level would be too high.

Now his back window seal is leaking and that's another one I'm hiring out to get taken care of. I don't feel like disassembling all the molding and seats to remove it, clean it up, reseal it and reinstall. I've got a guy that says he will do it for $250 on a weekend. Looks to be well worth it.
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